Jan. 12, 2002
Lexington, Ky. – The Kentucky women’s basketball team will meet its second straight ranked opponent on Sunday, Jan. 13 at 2 p.m. ET when it plays host to No. 19/22 Auburn at Memorial Coliseum.
The Wildcats (8-7, 1-2 Southeastern Conference) look to get back on track after falling to No. 8 Vanderbilt on Thursday, 71-54, in Nashville, Tenn. The Tigers (12-3, 0-2 SEC) are searching for their first conference win after losses to Florida and No. 3 Tennessee.
“I was very pleased with the effort in our last game,” UK Coach Bernadette Mattox said. “Every team in this league is tough, ranked or unranked. Auburn is hungry for their first SEC win and we have to continue making smart decisions.”
Sophomore center SeSe Helm, who scored a team-high 14 points against Vandy for her 15th straight game in double figures, leads the Cats in scoring (17.3) and rebounding (6.8). Junior point guard Rita Adams is the team’s second leading scorer with 10.4 points per game and leads the Southeastern Conference in steals (3.9). Senior forward LaTonya is the team’s third leading scorer with 9.4 points per game and the second leading rebounder (6.5).
Auburn, ranked No. 19 in the Associated Press top 25 poll and No. 22 in the USA Today/ESPN Coaches poll, is led in scoring by sophomore center Tia Miller with 12.6 points per game. Miller charted her third season double-double with 15 points and 12 rebounds against the Lady Vols last week. Following in the scoring column is senior Carol Smith and sophomore Le’Coe Willingham with 10.5 and 10.0 points per game, respectively.
Coach Joe Ciampi is in his 23rd season at Auburn. The accomplished coach has never had a losing season, compiling an impressive 519-173 record at Auburn alone. He became the 13th coach to reach 500 victories at one school last season.
Auburn ranks first in the SEC in scoring defense, allowing opponents an average of only 56.1 points per game.
Auburn leads the all-time series 16-9, including a 7-3 advantage when playing in Lexington. UK has won two out of the last four outings against the Tigers. UK lost the meeting last season at Auburn, 73-40, but upset the fifth-ranked team in Lexington on Jan. 6, 2000. That win was UK’s last over a ranked opponent.
